Overview on Windows, Doors, and Skylights

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The right home improvement products, techniques, and services:
Contractors, home improvement stores, and specialty shops in your area may not yet have a complete familiarity with the ‘green’ opportunities, products, system integration, and overall savings potential. So, you may get some resistance, since people in general are typically more comfortable recommending something that they are already familiar with rather than something new. To help break the inertia, use the information across this website like our Return on Investment Master ROI Table. Also feel free to post a question in our forum on the message board about a particular need for your home relative to your area. Our team has spent multiple years aggregating research from public and private sector performance reports and from manufacturers and homeowners across the country in order to provide you with the perspective you may need to see the initial payback and long term advantages. Environmental enthusiasts and leading institutions like the American Institute of Architects and the National Association of Realtors, see the value and link into our resources to support their members.

The Green Home:
For your overall home improvement, you can save money, improve your family’s health, and save the planet. Find out for free how much it will cost to do different types of home improvement in your home from a qualified and member approved contractor in your area. Get a FREE Quote . Plus, regardless of the size and scope of your home improvement project, save money and keep your home clean with the top rated chemical free and concentrated Green Home Cleaning Products .

Category Checklist:
Make sure to consider the latest Home Improvement products and services. If you are doing the work yourself or planning on working with a home improvement contractor use this checklist below as a guide to review and ask questions about the preferred products, details, and installation techniques related to:
  1. Energy Performance: Argon Gas and Low E Combination, Energy Star Windows, Insulated Window Glazing or Glass, Low Emissivity Window Glazing or Glass, Replacement Windows, Triple and Double Glazed Windows, and Windows.
  2. Exterior Doors: Door Hardware and Home Security, Exterior Steel Doors, Exterior Back Doors, Exterior Door Selection and Installation, Exterior Front Doors, Exterior Sliding Doors and French Doors, Exterior Wood Doors, Fiberglass Exterior Doors, and Pet Doors.
  3. Interior Doors: Closet Doors, Interior Bi-fold Doors, Interior Door Framing, Interior Door Hardware, Interior French Doors, Interior Glass Doors, and Interior Wood Doors.
  4. Screen Doors: Patio Screen Doors, Retractable Screen Doors, Security Screen Doors, Sliding Screen Doors, and Wood Porch Screen Doors, Retractable screens add convenience but the cost may be a hurdle.
  5. Skylights: Roof Skylights, Skylight Design and Sun Screens, Skylight Installation, Skylight Manufacturers, Skylights Tubular for Tile and Shingle Roofs, and Tubular Skylights.
  6. Storm Doors: Aluminum Storm Doors, Decorative Storm Doors, Patio Doors, Security and Storm Doors
  7. Sun Tunnels: Sun Tubes
  8. Window Insulation and Sun Protection: Improving Window Energy Efficiency, Insulated Window Curtains, and Window Sun Shades.
  9. Windows Style and Options: Storm and Screen Windows, Vinyl Windows, Window Contractors, Window Design, Window Locks and Security Bars, Window Repair and Maintenance, Window Selection, Window Trims and Cornices, and Window Wells.

Tips on Windows, Doors, and Skylights: Go natural. Natural light is a great way to reduce energy costs. With double glazed high efficiency Low-E and Argon Filled windows, you can benefit from the light while the inert Argon gas serves as an insulator and the Low-E protects you from excessive summer heat gain.
  1. Check windows for leaks and caulk them as needed.
  2. Check storm windows for proper sealing and caulking.
  3. Thermal Draperies: Ask to have curtains lined so that when they are drawn shut they can help keep the cold out in the winter and in…in the summer. Try to set the drapery box so that the fabric hangs closely to the wall and either meets the ceiling or has its own lilt roof to trap the air. The air will give you added insulation advantages.
    Doors should be properly weather sealed, and you can check the area underneath the doors where most of the draft problems occur.
    On the south side of the house, you may find that a blocking film can help reduce the heat gain.
    Check your skylights to see if they are proper insulated and sealed.
    Check for leaks by looking for stained wood trim around the windows.
    Bonus tip: go for a tune tube or sun ‘tunnel’. The natural light that they deliver to difficult spots or rooms will enhance your home, and the ongoing cost of operation is…free.

    Home Improvement Basics:
    When it comes to home improvement basics, look for interior home improvements like creating a clean, safe, and healthy home through sustainable ‘green’ furniture, home décor, zero VOC and Interior Paint, plus ENERGY STAR Appliances and Electronics. For energy and utility savings you can focus on insulation and air sealing, windows, doors, lighting and skylights, water saving plumbing opportunities, and high efficiency heating and air conditioning systems. On the outside of your house, look for exterior home improvement opportunities through landscape design and gardening plus solar energy, wind and other power sources. If you are undertaking a major home renovation, an additions, or building a new home, then take the lead to ‘go green’ in as many ways as possible to save money and the environment.

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